I am a plastic surgeon in Little Rock, AR. I used to "suture for a living", I continue "to live to sew". These days most of my sewing is piecing quilts. I love the patterns and interplay of the fabric color. I would like to explore writing about medical/surgical topics as well as sewing/quilting topics. I will do my best to make sure both are represented accurately as I share with both colleagues and the general public.

Some of you may know I am an amateur Shakespeare scholar. I pursue the study of the Bard during my spare time, which means I don't pursue it very deeply. Medicine and blogging seem to be the great consumers of time lately, but this week's Grand Rounds gives me the chance to marry the three subjects together. I present to you a Shakespearean Grand Rounds, and I begin with a literary digression.

(that's Convoy Support Center) south of Baghdad who are volunteering their time to run a clinic for Iraqis in need of medical care. These aren't people who were sent to Iraq as medical providers. Their official duty is to refuel trucks and keep them running on the convoy line running north and south through Mesopotamia. They treat up to 80 patients a day, many of them burned children. They report that they are seeing the same burns I saw so commonly: scald and oil spill burns from uncovered cooking sources in the home. They rely on donated service hours and donated supplies. If ever anyone needed a reason to be proud of our military, look no further than these troops.

When a physician has an equity stake in a medical practice and he or she is unexpectedly disabled or dies, the consequences for the rest of the partners (or the physician's heirs) can be severe. Failing to adequately prepare for forced transitions may seriously impair a successful practice and may even result in lawsuits................

Whether you're just beginning to write your story or you're already deep into the storyline, make updating your buy/sell agreement a priority. Establishing, structuring, and funding an adequate arrangement is a team effort. You should always have the involvement of a tax advisor and legal counsel.

Plan well and ensure for yourself, your family, and your practice, a very happy

Although one would hope the symptoms wouldn't get to this extreme, the ad makes the point that heart attacks aren't really just about chest pain: but also chest or arm tightness or a discomfort, dizziness, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, sweating, and the like..............

And one more thing to consider: if a friend wants to call an ambulance for you, let them. Remember they are objective observers, and might just save your life even despite yourself.

Check out Dino's recent two posts on Ramsay-Hunt Syndrome here and here. Then check out my own experience with Bell's Palsy here.

Essentially zoster of the ear, Ramsay Hunt consists of a painful vesicular rash in the external ear canal associated with a facial nerve palsy, vertigo, oral vesicles and taste disturbance. Treatment is with antivirals directed against herpes zoster, which I had already initiated, and steroids.

If you missed the Dr Anonymous' Blog Talk Radio show last week when I was his guest, you can listen to it here. Thank you all for showing up and calling in (Val, Theresa, Vijay, Bongi, Enrico, and Mary). This week is the ONE year anniversary show. I hope you will join us this Thursday night at 8 pm CST (or 1 am GMT) as we help Dr A celebrate.

*Although it is not required to listen to the show, I encourage you to register on the BlogTalkRadio site prior to the show. I think it will make the process easier.

*To get to my show site, click here. As show time gets closer, keep hitting "refresh" on your browser until you see the "Click to Listen" button. Then, of course, press the "Click to Listen" button.

*You can also participate in the live chat room before, during, and after the show. Look for the "Chat Available" button in the upper right hand corner of the page. If you are registered with the BTR site, your registered name and picture will appear in the chat room.*You can also call into the show. The number is on my show site. I'll be taking calls beginning at around the bottom of the hour. There is also a "Click To Talk" feature where you do not need a phone to call into the show - only a microphone headset. Hope these tips are helpful!

Disclaimer

My purpose in writing my blog is to attempt to provide good solid medical information on topics of my choosing. It is a way to educate myself, my colleagues, and the general public. References will be provided on medical posts, but not on opinion essays or poetry posts. An additional purpose is to share my interest in quilting topics, a way to show my human side.

Any medical information provided by this site is not a replacement for medical diagnosis, treatment, or professional medical advice. It should not be used to treat or diagnose any medical condition. Always seek professional medical consultation by a licensed physician for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions - please, do not ignore your doctor's medical advice based on information written by the author or commenters of this site. Please do not ask me for medical advice, but instead contact a healthcare provider in your area. Anything written about office/hospital situations/events are fictional examples to get a point across. No patient is/will ever be a specific patient (unless given written permission), but a fictional one. To know more about how I handle medical information about patients please link here. Unless, I am praising a colleague, even those will be fictional. Any similarities to you or people you know is purely coincidental. My husband and I, and our dogs are fair game.

In early 2009 I joined the Better Health Network. As part of that Network, I will occasionally be paid for my writing. Those posts will be clearly noted. I will strive to maintain my high ethical standards. If I add any advertising, it will be clearly marked as such.

Privacy Principles

I do not intend to use this blog to collect or dispense private health information on patients. If any patient is used as an explicit example for a posting, I will get that patient's consent in writing to use their story and/or photo. The office is permitted by federal privacy laws to make uses and disclosures of your health information for purposes of treatment, payment, and health care operations. However, that is not the intent of this blog. I intend to share information on medical/quilting topics with the general public and my colleagues. This web site does not share or sell any personal information, including your name, address, or email addresses with third parties. Have a blessed day!